Red Right Hand
by EvilDeadAsh
Summary: This is the story behind Wormtail's betrayal. Told in songic style to the song Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.


**"Take a little walk to the edge of town. Go across the tracks. Where the viaduct looms, like a bird of doom.As it shifts and cracks.Where secrets lie in the border fires,in the humming wires."**

Peter Pettigrew wasn't that much of a wizard, mostly he kept near those in power. He felt theirs reflected onto him. He was in the middle of an uneventful evening stroll. One which took him from the safety of his home all the way to the outskirts of town. His favorite place to be, in his own mind he was god. James and Sirius and Remus were all jealous of his prowess at Quidditch, all the ladies loved him. It was the same fantasy every night ever since he was a small child. He wished for a change to occur in his life, one that would prove his fantasies true. He looked up to the full moon. He thought of Remus for a moment. Somewhere Remus was wolfing out as he liked to call it. In the bright light the moon provided he saw the familiar sight of the old bridge, it was broken down. Nobody ever tread upon it except muggle school children on their right of passage showing no fear at the trembling and collapsing ground beneath their feet. Peter thought again of his friends, had they been muggles they'd do the same thing. Instead they were content to have their own version of school boy hi jinx. But those days were long gone. A war had begun, one which he thought was pointless. He had joined the order along with his friends. Sirius and James were as close as ever and Remus was always away on missions with the werewolves. In that moment Peter began to see he was alone, nobody loved nor cared about him. He was only kept around for self serving purposes. James and Sirius needed their follower, and Remus merely took pity on him. Even kind Lily Evans now Potter had kept him around only for her husbands sake. But those thoughts he kept to himself. He felt it fueled his magic better if he were holding on to pent up resentment.

**"Hey man, you know you're never coming back.Past the square, past the bridge,past the mills, past the stacks"**

Peter walked further hoping the calm air would clear out the bad thoughts he was having of his friends. Certainly they didn't keep him around solely for selfishness. They were cruel to people who deserved it, and he surely didn't. He felt a sudden chill come upon him. He cursed himself out for not realizing that he should have brought his heavier cloak. He looked up to the brilliant moon, only to see it suddenly cover with clouds.

**"On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man.In a dusty black coat with a red right hand"**

Suddenly Peter felt someone watching him. He raised his wand preparing to duel. "Show yourself!" he demanded.

"Ahhh if it isn't Peter Pettigrew, all alone, no Potter or Black to protect yourself. Where are your friends?" the voice answered.

"I'm sure they are busy with important works." Peter felt himself lie, he knew perfectly well that his friends were not near him because they chose not to be.

"Busy, fighting against me perhaps?" the voice asked revealing himself to the now terrified Peter.

"V-V-V-Vol..." Peter said stuttering his words.

"Lord Voldemort at your service. I have a proposition for you, if you listen closely and agree to my terms you'll live. If not I'll kill you right here, and now. You'll just be the poor boy that nobody misses. Which is it?" he said silkily.

"I'm listening..." Peter said apprehensively.

"Now, I know that there are spies everywhere within my ranks, they'll be dealt with soon, but I need you to be my eyes and ears with the other side."

"Why me?" Peter asked too calmly hoping that there was some secret importance behind himself.

"Because nobody will ever suspect you, you aren't important enough to them. But you could be my right hand man."

**"He'll wrap you in his arms,tell you that you've been a good boy.He'll rekindle all the dreams it took you a lifetime to destroy.He'll reach deep into the hole,heal your shrinking soul.Hey buddy, you know you're never ever coming back."**

Voldemort walked over to Peter knowing that this man was an insecure type. "You know I believe your powers and rise to greatness in our world has been hindered by your friends overshadowing your every move. You could be greater than them if you had more ambition with your life. With time, you could be more popular than them." Peter gasped slightly, he had just been thinking that very thought before his new friend appeared to him. With each passing year at school, years which saw James become a great Quidditch player, Sirius become a ladies man, Remus become a prefect. He suddenly thought, if it weren't for James he could have been the star Quidditch player for Gryffindor, without Sirius dogging his every attempt at the girls he could have had them all, without Remus he would have been the prefect. But those thoughts were ones he thought he had banished from his mind when he forced himself to be happy about his friends successes. It was at that moment he changed his way of thinking, no longer were those people his friends, he at once felt a freedom burst out of his soul. He became a dark wizard. A spy. He'd no longer be a good man, what had being a good obedient friend done for him.

"I'll do it my lord."

"Good boy!"

**"He's a god, he's a man,he's a ghost, he's a guru. They're whispering his name through this disappearing land. But hidden in his coat is a red right hand."**

As Voldemort left Peter with his thoughts Pettigrew began to see his new master in a new light. In his new mindset he saw that the Dark Lord was many things. He was a god to those who sought to follow him. He was only a man in Peter's old headmaster Albus Dumbledore's mind. If Dumbledore's mission to exterminate Voldemort was a success he'd be merely a ghost, living a non life watching all the power he could have amassed go to someone else. To Peter however he was a guru, he saw into his mind and saw his longing to be more that just poor pathetic Peter, the worshiper of Sirius and James. For the first time in his life he had not been afraid to speak the name that everyone simply ignored by calling his new lord you know who, and he who shall not be named. He at once said to himself with no fear in his heart "Thank You Lord Voldemort." He at once saw how siding with this murdering madman as he had been called so slanderously in the past could further lead to Peter's own rise to glory.

**"You ain't got no money? He'll get you some You ain't got no car? He'll get you one You ain't got no self-respect, you feel like an insect. Well don't you worry buddy,cause here he comes. Through the ghettos and the barrio and the bowery and the slum.A shadow is cast wherever he stands.Stacks of green paper in his red right hand."**

The weeks wore on Peter's conscious, had he done the proper thing in accepting to be Voldemort's spy rather than die for the cause? But as that thought burned into his mind the green eyed monster raged inside him. He would go visit James and his wife Lily. They had so much money, and Peter had so little. His desire for the life that he could never have fueled his mind into believing he'd done the right thing. All the sudden there was a great noise outside, he startled. James and Lily barely moved other than to allow Sirus into the house. Peter peered out the window and saw Sirius' newest plaything a flying motorbike. The voice telling him he was wrong was steadily growing quieter and softer. Peter thought to himself, that James and Lily may have money but thanks to his lord, he'll have more. Sirius may have a motorbike, but his lord will assure him something better a flying car perhaps. The voice was so quiet but audible, inside Peter did feel like he was nothing, that he was nothing more than a gnat. But he told the voice to shut up as he made small talk with James and Sirius about Remus' furry little problem, and the announcement that would soon be made, Lily had just found out she was pregnant. Peter graciously left the Potter home and went to his own shack as he called it. He lived in a poor neighborhood. One that his family didn't seem to notice was slowly degrading into a poverty stricken place. Outside his home Peter saw the distinct shadow of his lord. He shared his secrets with him, he told him all about the pregnancy news and the motorbike news. Voldemort's response was "You've done well, for your service take this." He held out his hand and set into Peter's a small satchel full of galleons. "Thank you my lord!" Peter stated nearly emotionless.

**"You'll see him in your nightmares, you'll see him in your dreams.He'll appear out of nowhere but he ain't what he seems.You'll see him in your head,on the TV screen. And hey buddy, I'm warning you to turn it off."**

Peter was in the middle of a delightful dream in which he was the right hand man of the ruler of the wizarding world, James and Sirius were his servants, Remus... his pet, Lily was his wife his and his alone, the baby was being raised as Peter Pettigre Junior. Suddenly the dream became nightmarish as he saw his "son" kill his lord. Voldemort appeared to him calling his name asking for his assistance. He awoke and at that same moment in the half sleep state he was in he saw his lord appear to him. He told Peter of a prophecy that had been made foretelling of the boy that could destroy him. He had already narrowed it down to two possible children, the unborn sons of Frank and Alice Longbottom and James and Lily Potter. Peter recalled the stories which told of Frank and Alice defying his lord three times, Once when they refused to join the Death Eaters. The second when they were personally responsible for the capture of five of Voldemort's most loyal subjects. The third and last time when they had actually came face to face with the Dark Lord himself and lived to tell the tale. Peter also recalled that the Potter's defiance was similar. He knew at once that James and Lily would know that they were marked for death, he knew that Dumbledore would have a plot to protect them, so he promised his lord to stick as close to the situation as possible. He even offered to spy on the Longbottoms as well but Voldemort told him he already had someone on that job.

Every time he would talk to James or Lily about their lives the image of Voldemort was always on his mind. He tried to relax by watching the television his father had just enchanted to work in their home. He had so much going on in his mind that he could swear he could even see his lord on the television, his mind screamed at him to just shut it off. The voice that until this point was barely audible began yelling at him to tell someone of his situation, but his own desire to not die was stronger and that very night the voice left and never came back.

**"He's a ghost, he's a god,he's a man, he's a guru.You're one microscopic cogin his catastrophic plan.Designed and directed by his red right hand."**

Just as he knew he would, Dumbledore had approached James and Lily with the idea of enacting the Fidelius Charm one in which a secret was kept inside on persons soul. Peter then thought of a brilliant plan. He went to James and Sirius, he knew that Sirius would be picked as the secret keeper. He expressed the best fake concern for their safety as possible. Then told them that everyone including the Dark Lord would expect Sirius to be entrusted with that job, so he off the cuff said "Use me, diversionary tactics work best." James and Sirius agreed at once. It was mid October when the charm was cast, and himself made secret keeper. He ran to Voldemort and told him what happened. Voldemort looked at Peter with what Peter thought was pride and said a very cold "good work" Then Peter sheepishly stated maybe he should wait to go after the Potter's giving them a false sense of security, Voldemort said "very well"

Halloween night is when the full realization of what he had done set in. That night his lord had gone to kill Harry, but James and Lily died instead. Sirius figured it all out at once and came for him. Peter ran away and framed Sirius for the murders and betrayal. Twelve years he was reduced to being a permanent rodent. Then Sirius and Remus unmasked him, luckily for Peter he got away and found his lord and nursed him to health, using Harry's blood as a key. When he looked for accolades for what he had done Voldemort looked at him with disdain and spoke coldly "You poor pathetic fool, you have already served your purpose. Did you honestly think I trusted someone like you? You who betrayed your best friends, I am not so foolish as to think you wouldn't do the same to me. For now you will live with my most loyal subject!"

"Who would that be my lord?" Peter asked calmly tears of rage being restrained.

"Severus Snape! You have loads to talk about if I am correct."


End file.
